I did finally take some of the candies out yesterday to enjoy for an S- day, and the wait was worth it. Friday night we went out for dinner and I was considering dessert despite an N- day, but ended up deciding to not feel overfull and not turn the day red.

I've never had a root canal done so I'll see how it goes. Hopefully it won't be too bad of an experience (except for the hit to my wallet!).

I actually had 2 cookies and more chocolate planned for dessert after dinner, but decided I really didn't want the rest. Instead I did an aerobic workout (Have I mentioned that I love Leslie Sansone videos?) and that was the end of eating for the night.

As I said, I've had many root canals done and this I can say: unless you now have an infection, any discomfort and pain you may experience is WAY less than you would have eventually if you let the situation continue. Inuits committed suicide over tooth pain after whites from the lower 40 brought sugar, flour- and tooth decay. I might have considered it, if I had been in the same situation. Mine just went on for about a month, when my dental discount policy could kick in. I paid a lot, too. But the alternative...

Besides a bit of sting from the shot, mine didn't. It just takes a long time, you feel a lot of pressure, and you hear a lot of noise. But I'm always grateful dentists can take care of the problem!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Like Saturday night, I eventually just put some of the chocolates I had planned to eat back in the dish, where they will now stay until Saturday. I was feeling lazy most of the day and watched football and napped, but did get some housework in and worked out again. Even though sometimes I have to sternly tell myself I should do it, I don't think I've ever really regretted doing one of the aerobics videos, even one of the shorter ones. It just makes me feel better.

Yesterday became a red day. I didn't get a lot of sleep Sunday night, and on Monday I was tired all morning. I went to the doctor and weighed in at 201, which just shocked me given how good I had been feeling and how my clothes still fit well. Then I started reasoning out the fact that I was wearing layers of clothing, it was afternoon after two meals, and an impending time of the month, and decided it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. On December 1st I weighed 191. This morning when I was on the scale at home it read 195, which sounded more reasonable than the 201 from yesterday. Actually, that's what I weighed around this time of the month in November...a pattern, perhaps? We'll see after things calm down with my body next week.

I set a current goal for myself of 170. That's what I'll need to be at to be out of the "obese" BMI range and in the "overweight" BMI range. It doesn't seem to far off, considering when I first started No-S I actually saw the scale read 179 at one point. I guess I really need to be honest with myself and figure out what I can do to start the scale moving down again. I don't want to buy physically smaller plates, but I can definitely control what goes on the plates I do have. I've gotten better at listening to myself when I get full, but I do still have a lot of times when I think maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much. Maybe some of the weight gain is from living with someone else, someone who doesn't eat leftovers? Sometimes I feel like I have to eat more at meals so I'm not constantly squirreling food in the freezer for a future time. I need to change that mindset, and make it okay to throw away some food if I'm not going to eat it in the next few days.

So it was a failure yesterday, but not WTH. I think I've actually learned some control when I decide to do something that will make the day red. I had 2 sugar cookies, 2 mini peanut butter cups, and 4 Hershey's miniature bars. I can't say I felt better after eating them, but I also didn't feel like the world was going to crash in on me. I got some blood work done this morning to check on a few things, although my new doctor (same clinic, but my former doctor left) didn't test for cholesterol because she said my results last year were good, and my blood pressure was better than hers, so there was no reason to check it. So at least I can feel good about that!

I don't often like to bring up my actual weight on here, but I figured if I was going to confess to a failure, I might as well bring up the "why" behind it. On New Year's Day of this year I saw 190 on the scale and nearly cried, vowing that it would be different this coming New Year. And it probably will be, just not in the direction I'd like to go. But I have to keep thinking back to my successes in those first weeks on No-S and figure out what I was doing so well. I love the sanity of three meals a day with no snacks in between, and I am going to keep to it! This is the first time that I can remember where I feel like I have at least some control over my eating habits most of the time, and I want to keep that up for the rest of my life.

I love the sanity of three meals a day with no snacks in between, and I am going to keep to it! This is the first time that I can remember where I feel like I have at least some control over my eating habits most of the time, and I want to keep that up for the rest of my life.

Good for you! Setbacks are always rough, but I love that your attitude here, and hope better days are ahead._________________Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

You probably weren't doing anything that differently. You were on the honeymoon. Also the principle of the hedonic treadmill will kick in when the novelty wears off. And the habit will not usually go down without a fight. It will create thoughts and sensations that convince us to go off the path. The habit really believes it's saving us!

We can save ourselves._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I have been contemplating trying another mod, but I don't really feel like saying much about it until I've put it into practice. I'm enjoying N-days for the moment and realizing that my main problem has been S-days. So, I'll go ahead and commit to the mod for a month, actually starting yesterday, and I'll post about whether I feel it's a success or not sometime in mid-January.

The company is giving us breakfast on Thursday, but it's at an odd time for me. Last year all I had was part of a bagel and some orange juice, but I think this year I am going to have some fruit for breakfast at my usual time and then go down around 9 to get the food and bring it back to my desk. It's going to be busy and crowded in the cafeteria and I don't feel like pushing through people to find a seat. I might as well take advantage of one of the few free things the company does for us, though!

great virtual plate idea_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Ah ha- it was you who I was talking with about the Leslie Sansome videos! She just keeps coming up on our threads and I think she is great-surprisingly harder work than I remembered. Anyway, just remembered that it was you, so thought I'd stop by to "dish".

I had several failures this week. I can't even excuse it, they were just moments of "I don't care" and other emotional reasons. My root canal went fine on Friday, although my meal times were off and I compensated with ice cream that night.

I got my employee breakfast on Thursday, but if they do it again next year I will probably just have my normal breakfast and do a snack type thing again. It really threw off my schedule and led to more snacking Thursday night.

So this holiday season is not going well so far, but at least I've not given up. I'm still going to give my mod a try and see how it goes for a month. I still have plenty of this month left to stay on track and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to get through with the habits. 😊

Floundering here, too. Boy, that opportunistic tendency is powerful! But it's not insurmountable, I have to believe._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Oooo, eggnog. I'd forgotten about it. Will take some to at least one event this weekend._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Well, I think this weekend went well. I had a nice breakfast and a small lunch on Saturday, worked out for an hour, then enjoyed a decadent dinner out. I felt slightly stuffed, but it was more the wine that got to me.

Today my boyfriend and I opened presents, then while he went back to bed I worked out and had a few chocolates. Then we went to his parents house where I had a plate of appetizers, then had some beef and sides. I had seconds on the sides, and limited my dessert to a piece of cake and a cookie. I felt a little overfull, but it was not as bad as previous holidays.

I haven't even been tempted to eat since we got home, and tomorrow I'm sending leftover cookies and sweets to my boyfriend's work. Then it's back to N days while I make a plan for New Year's Eve.

very cool_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Yesterday was a good N day. My breakfast was two small cinnamon rolls with sausage and fruit, but it was on one plate and I wanted to finish the rolls. I had a Subway sandwich with chips for lunch, and my boyfriend and I ate Hamburger helper with bread and salad for dinner. I had one glass of wine before dinner, and only tea to drink afterwards. It felt good to not have anything overly sweet. (The cinnamon rolls were borderline, but since that wasn't all I ate I'm not going to mark it as a red).

This week will actually be a good time to put the mod that I've been thinking about into action, so we'll see how it goes. I've already noticed that the idea of buying discount Christmas candy is not appealing. The only item I might try to get is a bag of Hershey's kisses, so I can make those peanut blossom cookies. I didn't get to those during the holidays, but I could probably make some to freeze and have on S-days in the next couple of months.

I've had oatmeal for breakfast the past couple of mornings, and yesterday I didn't get as hungry as I usually do midway through the morning, although I was definitely ready to eat by lunchtime. This morning I mixed it with a bit of milk and some peanut butter, and then had a banana separately. It all tasted good, was easy to fix in the microwave, and filled me up. I think I might try that every work day next week (I have Monday off for the holiday) and see how it goes.

I think we're going to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory tomorrow evening. I'm already looking forward to it. I've tried several of their cheesecakes, and definitely have a couple of favorites. I also like their Chinese Chicken Salad, although the portion is often too large for me and salad is something I don't like to take home with me because it never tastes or looks as appealing the next day. I could always try something different, because their menu is huge!

I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning and then not do it again until the end of January. Whatever the number is, I'm not going to beat myself up. I may have gained some weight according to the scale this year, but I still fit comfortably into my clothes and I'm still exercising regularly.

Something I need to work on in the New Year is S-days. N-days, too, especially after these past couple of months, but I really need to start going in the direction of "sometimes" on S-days. I know it's important to realize that I can have any treat I want, but I think it would also be good in the long run for me to realize that I've had a lot of treats in the past, and I can wait to have a particular one again.

In the book at one point, Reinhard says eventually S days will look very much like N days with probably only one exception per weekend. Even after seven years, I'm not there! But I always assume it's because I'm single and have little routine on weekends in general, never mind with meals._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

My scale at home read 189 this morning, so I will start the new year 1 pound down from last year. I'm satisfied with that given some of the weights I saw in the past couple of months. I'll try to only step on the scale monthly, to keep track of my progress in that area.

The fact that you didn't gain is impressive, since it's so common for people, even more so the already-overweight/obese, to gain weight as time goes on. Halting that is progress!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Not a bad weekend at all, S-wise. It snowed here all day Saturday and on Sunday I made a small snowman on our balcony. I almost sacrificed some Hershey's kisses for the mouth but decided that orange slices would stick better instead. It will probably be gone by mid-week since it's supposed to be almost 60 by Thursday, but it was fun to do.

I adjusted my work hours starting this week, so instead of starting at 7:00 I start at 7:30. This means I'm now eating breakfast almost 45 minutes later, and that seems to be making a difference in my mornings. I still have to push through some hunger as lunch gets closer, but mentally having six hours rather than almost seven hours in between breakfast and lunch seems to be working well for me. I just enjoy my tea throughout the morning and enjoy my lunch!

I'm not really tempted by any of the Valentine's day candy that is now in the stores. Part of that might be that I still have quite a bit of chocolate still in the cupboard from the holidays. I'm also trying to look ahead to the Easter season, so I'm planning to skip most of the Valentine stuff (except maybe a small box of those candy hearts) and wait for the Cadbury eggs and chocolate bunnies to appear!

All in all, not a bad weekend. Definitely calmer than other recent times. I wasn't overly stuffed either day and I didn't eat anything after dinner on Sunday night. I woke up nice and hungry this morning!

Nice._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I've pretty much settled back into the routine of just having cereal and fruit for breakfast. It tastes good to me, I enjoy not having something too overwhelming in the morning, and it gets me through most of the morning at work. Occasionally I'll switch to some toast and peanut butter or buy a breakfast sandwich on the way to work, but cereal is it most mornings.

Sunday was a little heavier than I'd like S-days to be, but we ate dinner unusually early so I wanted the ice cream to help with my appetite. And of course, you can't do S-days wrong! I never felt overstuffed on either S-day, so that's a good sign.

After some red days and continued wild S- days, I think it's time to set some limits. I will continue to work on getting my N- days back in line. And after reading the "S- days gone wild" podcast I am going to set some limits on weekend S- days. I will have up to two S- events each weekend day. Holidays and birthdays will still be free and more relaxed but I feel that limits will help me on weekends. I need to get my weight moving down. And I'm tired of feeling out of control on Saturdays and Sundays.

I've been doing well with getting exercise, though. And I am taking Valentine's Day as an S- day.

Being tired of the overeating was my main motivation to reduce wild days. They never went away on their own. It wasn't suddenly easy, though. I had to white knuckle it a lot because the body still sent me signals to eat.(This stilll happens, but I can't blame it on No S. Just have a hard time filling my time.) But I am never sorry when I just wait for my next meal.

And the memory of the experience of green N days really helps, but you need to have them to look back on them for strength when the time comes... in case you need a little more incentive._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Valentine's Day was a nice relaxed S-day for me. I had most of a Hershey bar at work (actually threw away the last few pieces because it felt too sweet) and some small cookies after lunch. I snacked on some tortilla chips while waiting for my boyfriend to get home so I could make dinner, and then we had tacos (we went out for a nice dinner Monday night instead of last night). A little bit later we had some red velvet cake and I also had a couple of mint chocolates.

I'm looking forward to limiting my treats this weekend. Limiting it to 2 S's each day will make me think harder about what I really want to eat. And with a full-on S-day for the holiday yesterday, I'm not feeling the need for anything outside of my three meals right now.

My S-days went well with the new mod. On Saturday I had a mid-afternoon snack of a couple of cookies and some mini chocolates, then had a few more cookies as dessert after dinner. On Sunday I had a nice single-serving piece of cake that I bought from the store for dessert after lunch, then had some chocolates after dinner while watching TV. I didn't feel overstuffed and planning the treats out helped me to enjoy them. On to a week of N-days!

My S-days went well with the new mod. On Saturday I had a mid-afternoon snack of a couple of cookies and some mini chocolates, then had a few more cookies as dessert after dinner. On Sunday I had a nice single-serving piece of cake that I bought from the store for dessert after lunch, then had some chocolates after dinner while watching TV. I didn't feel overstuffed and planning the treats out helped me to enjoy them. On to a week of N-days!

Curious to know what the S days were like before. (My early ones started with syrup-drenched pancakes and were a chocolate-and-carb all day fest for a loooong time.) Was it a lot of snacking?_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

What I felt was the main problem was the "It's an S-day so I'll just grab something any time I want" mentality. For example, I'd have lunch and end with a dessert of some type, then go back and get some more snack-type foods, then have dinner and probably a dessert and maybe some more snack-type items. Small stuff, but enough that in recent months I've come close to not feeling well by the end of the weekend. So I decided it was time to try limiting the opportunities. For example, on Saturday I probably had about half the cookies/chocolates I'd normally have, but they were at two discrete times and I sat down to enjoy them instead of grabbing a couple of cookies here and there. Same thing on Sunday. It was gratifying to practice some self-control while still enjoying my treats. That's where I'd like my S-days to be.

S days were never supposed to me we would permanently eat just because we could. I needed a lot of lessons in this. I felt unwell countless times! But I kept hoping the desire would just go away on its own. It didn't. I finally instituted mods, though you got uncomfortable AND fed up much sooner than I did. Good for you. It's so surprising that the desire for food doesn't necessarily go away just because we know we don't need more and will likely suffer if we have more. And the capacity to nibble is elastic for most of us. It used to be an evolutionary advantage!

It sounds like things are progressing nicely. Sweet!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I decided that I am giving up fried/crispy chicken for Lent this year. As I really enjoy it (one of my favorite dishes is sweet and sour chicken) I think that's a good sacrifice, but one that is also gentle. I can have grilled or roasted chicken, but not anything with that fried coating on it. I think this will truly be a challenge for me!

A bit of a red yesterday as I had a chocolate Cadbury egg after dinner. I mainly kept to the 2 S-events per day this last weekend, although I did also have about 7 little pretzels and a few jelly beans before going out to dinner on Sunday. But you can't fail on S-days, and otherwise it was calm.

Giving up the fried food sounds reasonable. Offering it up for Lent should help dispel feelings of resentment. No one is making you do this and you're not asking for anything back._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Had a red day yesterday. My Dad sent me some of the S'mores Girl Scout cookies that are being sold where he lives, which are a different kind from the ones being sold out here. I didn't want to wait for the weekend to taste them, so I opened the box and had two cookies. They were delicious, even better than the ones out here, and I put the rest away for future S-days. Of course, now I hope to find more of the kind he sent when a different council out here opens up their sales. (Having been involved in Girl Scouting in one way or another for roughly 33 years, I keep track of the local councils and what they're doing).

I had a good S-weekend. Again, I stuck to the two S-events each day with a few pretzels as an extra S. I was craving ice cream on Sunday, so I went out and bought a package of Klondike ice cream sandwiches. Smaller items like that tend to work better for me, as I'm not opening a carton of ice cream and then leaving it to sit for a week in the freezer. It's easier to resist temptation when you know each ice cream sandwich is in its own package and not getting iced over or anything like that.

We had a carbon monoxide leak at work on Friday. It was out in the warehouse. The office portion I work in was actually built into the warehouse for the company, and has its own separate heating/cooling system, although doors are opened and closed often enough that air from the warehouse could very well get in here. So the building was evacuated and I ended up outside with only my jacket and keys, no purse or wallet. Several people were taken to the hospital (although we were told yesterday that they're all recovering well). One of my co-workers let me use my phone to call my boyfriend for a ride home, but luckily the building was safe enough to re-enter in time for me to go in and get my stuff, then get back out and let him know I could drive myself home before he made it all the way there. It was kind of a nerve-wracking experience as we weren't told much about what was going on and those of us who weren't ill were corralled into a smaller empty warehouse behind the main building and held there until it was deemed safe to go back in. We could see all the emergency vehicles and people being assessed for their health, but very little info came from the people in charge at our company.

So my boyfriend and I ended up going out for dinner because I didn't feel like cooking. We went to TGIFridays, and while we shared an appetizer I didn't count it as red because the two pot stickers could have fit on the plate with my cheeseburger and fries. I didn't order dessert, and I didn't have anything outside of the three meals, so it was still a green day. Good for me on a personal note, I guess.

Well, after two years on NoS, I think I am going to try yet another mod. Like a previous time, I don't want to say too much about it, but I am committing to it until Easter to see how it goes. I've been strong about not having any fried/crispy chicken during Lent, even though I was very tempted to order a chicken tenders platter at a restaurant last Friday evening. I honestly didn't think that I'd miss it as much as I do. I'll be looking forward to some sweet and sour chicken in April, for sure!

We had our health screens done here at work last week. According to the scales they used I am five pounds down from my doctor's visit in December, so I am happy about that. I feel like I've lost maybe more than that, but the scale at home always puts me at the same weight. Maybe it's just time for a newer scale, since I've had this one for quite some time. And the rest of my numbers all fell within the normal ranges (good blood pressure, good cholesterol, good fasting glucose) so I can take that with me, at least.

I'm going to be going on a cruise in July. My dad and his wife are taking me and my boyfriend and my brother and his family on an Alaskan cruise! I'm excited, but I'm also already a little nervous about all the eating opportunities. I don't know if I should already be deciding on a plan now, but I think I'd just like to keep it to three meals and maybe a special snack for most of the days. If I see something worth trying, I don't want to pass it up, but I also don't want to get entirely too off habit. I know that it won't make me feel good to eat too much, along with the fact that I've never been on a cruise before and I don't know how much my motion sickness will kick in. It's mostly planes and small boats (and some amusement park rides) that I have problems with, and I'm hoping the sheer size of the ship will help.

So, on to a mod that I think will help me, especially with the still wild S days that I can't seem to shake. Overall, I still believe that No-S has really helped me change my eating habits. I think about the times (now pretty far in the past) where I'd have three or four of those extra-large Hershey bars a week, pile seconds onto my plate, and snack quite often. A lot of memories are associated with food, and sometimes now my mind just goes "yuck" when I think about how much I used to eat. I actually stopped quite a bit of it even before No-S, but putting the habits into play really helped a lot.

I've been doing my mod for a week now and I think it worked very well. Simply put, I'm trying something similar to what other people on the board have done. I'm still not having seconds or snacks. I'm eating 3 meals a day, and including a small sweet thing if I want it. I think keeping the strictness of no snacks and no seconds while allowing that bit of sweets really kept me on track this past week. I didn't have a sweet every day, but when I did it fit on my plate.

However, I still have S days on which all those rules will be relaxed. Those will be holidays and birthdays that I spend with people as they celebrate. I might occasionally add other S-days, as people doing vanilla will have NWS days, but for the most part it's 3 one-plate meals 7 days a week. I was able to keep to that even over the weekend, although Sunday afternoon became challenging. I like the feeling of being able to keep some strictness in my habits while being a little flexible.

Great job making modified NoS work for you! Getting to the point where it comfortably fits in with your way of life is what it's all about! _________________I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
~Jimmy Dean

The second you overcomplicate it is the second it becomes the thing for which it is a corrective.
~El Fug, on the NoS Diet

I had another good week. 3 meals a day, with one planned S day where I didn't go too crazy at all. The weekend was a little challenging at times when I wanted to snack in between lunch and dinner, but I held strong. Being able to have a sweet with the meal helped. I also exercised both weekend days. I feel like this is a sort of 21-day challenge for me in keeping to the three meals a day all week, but I'm looking forward to keeping this going until Easter and evaluating how I do.

I had a red day on Friday and one on Monday. I think Friday was just one of those "I'm going to have what I want when I want it" days that still happen despite two years on No-S, but it was still kind of tame compared to what I would have done in the past. I had one candy bar during the afternoon and some pretzels while I was waiting for a late dinner. On Monday I donated blood, and while I would not normally consider the two snacks I eat afterwards to be a red, I ended up eating more after dinner. Again, not horrible, but not great, either.

This coming weekend/early next week will be Easter, my boyfriend's birthday, and my birthday, all in row. (Yes, somehow I ended up dating someone whose birthday is the day before mine.) Since I am doing a mod allowing sweets with meals, but only three meals a day all week, Easter and the birthdays are part of the few actual S-days that I am allowing myself. I don't plan to eat ALL the chocolate on Easter, but I will allow for snacking and seconds when we're with his family and through the day. (I'll also work out that morning as usual on weekends). On my boyfriend's birthday probably the only S will be dinner out at Joe's Crab Shack (their chocolate s'mores cake dessert is wonderful). And on my birthday the rules will once again be relaxed, but I don't anticipate a lot of eating beyond meals. Maybe some treats at work and a special dessert at home, but we're going out the weekend after to celebrate.

So some delightful S-days coming up, but I'm looking forward to moderate treats and feeling good after eating. I don't want to be overfull any more. That kind of eating doesn't appeal to me. It's amazing how the one-plate rule sticks with me now, and even the mod of not having seconds or snacks on weekends seems to be going well. I'm still trying for a full 21 green days with that, but my failures have been small. And I seem to have lost about three pounds since doing No-S this way.

So, I stopped doing No-S in April to try intuitive eating again. I am already tired of trying to figure out how hungry I am and what my body really wants to eat. I am starting over tomorrow with 21 days of Vanilla No-S, because this really is the way I want to eat for the rest of my life. I just got back from a cruise and finally noticed how the weight has been sneaking up on me. I went back to my old habits of making sure I had snacks in my drawer at work, and of course indulged in all the goodies that were brought in. I'm getting tired of sweets and know I need some boundaries around my behavior towards food.

One good thing is that on the cruise I mainly stuck to three meals, although dinner always included an appetizer and dessert. That format really appeals to me. I want to lose the weight that's been on me for most of my life.

I do know that I need to be strict with myself and seriously think about what should be considered a special non-weekend day. I'm ready to start this over again and make some changes to my life.

Nearly three days into my restart, so far, and it's going well. The past two days have been work anniversaries for other people in my department so we've gotten e-mails about how there are treats nearby to enjoy. I looked in at them, but honestly wasn't even tempted. Maybe I'm still too tired of recent sweets binges (especially those chocolate filled breakfast pastries on the cruise! So good!) and that helps somewhat. I'm trying to decide if I want to actually plan a treat for this weekend or just go ahead and take the days as they come. Either way, I'll be looking forward to the S days.

I bought some chocolate bars for future S-days in case I feel like having them. Honestly, I've had wilder S-days in the past. The ice cream both days was one of those frozen cones you can buy in boxes at the grocery store and I really enjoyed them. I've realized once again that it's usually better for me to buy ice cream in some sort of pre-made form, because otherwise I'll just have way too much.

I've realized once again that it's usually better for me to buy ice cream in some sort of pre-made form, because otherwise I'll just have way too much.

I'm that way too! We've had klondike bars a few times lately, and I eat way less when I just have one of those rather than a "dish" of ice cream._________________Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

I think this weekend was more like how I'd want future S-days to be. Since restarting all my N-days have been green.

I've been walking around the parking lot at work on my breaks, as I've been doing for many years, and a few weeks ago I realized that I didn't like walking so fast that I'd end up sweaty for the rest of the day. Plus, my hip would sometimes start to hurt. So I've slowed down my pace and just enjoyed being outside and away from my desk, and I think it's made me happier. It also seems to be less stress on my body. I also started eating at my desk rather than going down to the cafeteria because I find that I usually want lunch a bit earlier than I was letting myself have it. So far that also seems to be working out.

I did my in-home walking workouts both days and felt good about it. I'm facing my 40th birthday next April and would like to get some of this weight off before then. I've been overweight/obese for 30 years and I'd like to change my body. I know it's going to be slow, but I do have some motivation.

August has been a mixed bag for me No-S wise. Most of my N-days were good. When I was on my trip in the middle of the month I had a few days where I meant to be strict and then just relaxed about it. I realize I'm not perfect and that those days were meant to be an exception. I went and donated blood yesterday and enjoyed two snacks there at the location. The day would have otherwise been green except that I decided to have some cookies later after dinner and I then marked it as red. I'll have many opportunities to improve my vanilla No-S through the next couple of months.

I'm really hoping to be more strict during the holiday season later this year. I feel like I gained several pounds around this time last year and really relaxed the rules for myself by trying a variety of mods during November, December, and January. I'm starting to come to the realization that I don't need as much food as I usually eat, and even when we go out to dinner now I always give the "sides" or "salad/soup" parts of the menu serious consideration before picking out something else. Part of me sometimes just gets overwhelmed at the amount of food I've consumed in my life, but it's hard to think about that when a meal is approaching and I'm hungry!

So, all in all it's been a good month and a half since coming back to No-S. The foundation is there and I know what I need to do.

I'm down about 4 pounds since coming back to No-S in mid July. I want to try to use September to slowly get myself away from reading other weight loss sites or articles and try to focus solely on the good things No-S can do for me. Some of my friends on Facebook have been ramping up their efforts with other diets and when I see their posts I almost always shake my head, although I don't know if it's because it temporarily makes me feel bad about my own body or if it's just wondering how they'd react to something like No-S.

So, slow and steady it is. I'll continue my walking for exercise and remember that it's really one of the few things I'll ever find to be enjoyable and sustainable for life.

Wow, has it really been almost 3 months since I last posted? Well, confession: I strayed far from No-S. I didn't try any other diets. I let snacks, sweets, and even sometimes seconds creep their way back in. But after overindulging this weekend, I realized that I really do need to change my habits around food.

Also, I'm getting married sometime next October. While I don't intend to lose weight just for the wedding, I would like to start having my weight go down so I can enjoy more health. I'll be 40 in April and I'd like to avoid some of the health problems that might come up with being obese. Lots of good reasons to practice moderation here, and I'd like to keep it up this time.

I may ease in to my return to No-S. However I handle it, I know that this pattern of overeating I've had since I was a child needs to stop at some point. I'm not going to be perfect, but I know I just need to be good enough to stay on habit most of the time.

However I handle it, I know that this pattern of overeating I've had since I was a child needs to stop at some point. I'm not going to be perfect, but I know I just need to be good enough to stay on habit most of the time.

I hear ya'. . . I'm definitely ready to accept that "good enough" to really is good enough.

Congratulations! And here's to new, healthier habits _________________Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

Yesterday my fiancé didn't get home until almost 8:30 p.m. (we usually eat around 5:30 on the days he doesn't work late) and I had a planned snack of a piece of bread with peanut butter. I'm not considering it a fail because I planned to eat it and sat down at the table with it, and it helped get me through to the later dinner time. It's not going to be an everyday thing.

It is hard to keep in mind how we'd like to feel AFTER we eat something. Our bodies aren't really wired for that to be the first consideration, but it can sure be trained to choose it more often.

I hope it won't seem like I'm throwing it in your face, but I was looking back on your posts and it was right after you wrote this in April -l" I'm looking forward to moderate treats and feeling good after eating. I don't want to be overfull any more. That kind of eating doesn't appeal to me."- that you tried IE again, and found weight sneaking up on you over the course of the months between April and July. Then a couple of months on, and a jump from September to December "straying far from No-S." The body will do a lot to keep us reaching for the stream of food it's used to, including affecting our thinking. It has endless opportunities to get that food! I'll probably look back at my posts over the last year before much more of this eating season goes on to get some perspective.

I, too, took a few months off this fall. It was actually a little frightening to see how easy it was to eat the stuff and amounts I did, but I"m reading now how powerful the mechanisms are keep the status quo, especially if I'm not willing to live a very narrow path. I'm just lucky that my social life is "light" enough that I'm not around much free food, though perhaps for other reasons, that's not the best thing.

It's too bad you couldn't have a temporary tattoo on your "eating" hand that says "40 in April". But all you could really count on by then would be time on habit, not weight loss. I know a lot of research says that people lose more weight when they have a weight goal, but I don't know that the researchers follow up two or more years later, or what kind of life those "losers" have to live to keep that scale weight. Maybe it's just sour grapes that I have never been able to stick to any eating program for the sake of weight loss.

Maybe I need a tattoo that says "Join On and On Anon!"_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Actually, the proposal itself was probably not what most people would consider romantic. A couple of weeks after we picked out the ring, I was at work and he was at home. He sent me a couple of normal text messages, then sent a picture of the ring on top of the box with the text "Will you marry me?" I was trying hard to not start crying right there in my cubicle, so all I did was write back "Yes! I'll marry you!" I know how difficult it would have been for him to get the words out even if we were just together in private, so I accepted it as really the perfect way for him to propose.

Believe me, I'll read back over my own posts and wonder what I was thinking at times. I know I've tried mods a few times, and for some reason this year I've just really rebelled against the strictness that I was enjoying before that. I'm not setting any firm weight loss goals for myself. I just know that although my basic health numbers keep coming back as being fairly good for now, that probably won't last if I do remain the weight I am with the same habits I have. All I can do is try to remain on habit and not let any small failures cause me to give it all up again.

I think it's common at some point to rebel. I just see it as the body doing its thing from back when it couldn't get food 24/7 and read any drop in intake as a problem. Good thing we have a prefrontal cortex to help keep things in perspective.

I think the younger generations will have many stories of texted proposals!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day went fairly well this year. I was full, but I never felt overstuffed. I did consciously tell myself at one point during dinner that I should stop eating now, and later on I was able to enjoy some of the desserts because of that. It was different from last year, where I know I ate to the point of almost not feeling well. A subtle shift, but in the right direction.

I think it's a bit more than a subtle shift. From what I've learned recently, it's normal to have to use some mental power to limit food intake in "risky" situations. It's good that you saw a benefit: you were able to enjoy some desserts you wanted later.

Next year, it might be different. It's possible the desserts will be less important and you'll eat more savory food. Or less of both. It will unfold!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

First green day in a long time yesterday. I just got back from a trip home to Washington State to look for wedding venues and let myself indulge in some things while I was there. Oh, well. I'm just going to try to get back on habit.

Congratulations on your engagement! That's exciting news, and I think it was very sweet, the way he proposed!

I'm also working on getting early green days after travel. Here's to both of us getting back into the swing!_________________-Sonya
No Sweets, No Snacks and No Seconds, Except (Sometimes) on days that start with "S".

Which part of Washington state? I've visited Seattle and the Cascades. Stunning! I wish I had thought I could make a living up there. (It was kind of a case of the devil I knew.)_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I grew up in Tacoma, about 30 miles south of Seattle. Yes, the scenery is incredible in that area. After ten years in New Jersey I still miss looking at Mt. Rainier every day! Someday I'll move back there, but I'm enjoying my job too much right now to leave it!

Never underestimate the gift of an enjoyable job. _________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I've discovered after an entirely red week last week that maybe it's best to try to ease myself back into No-S. So this week I am working towards 2-3 green days. For some reason I was really just in the "I need a snack every afternoon" mindset at work and having desserts at home. If I can build the habits back up a little bit at a time, maybe I can finally make this work long-term. I know I'll have some failures now and then, though.

Excellent strategy. I respect weaning a lot, especially when you've got a sympathetic tribe to keep kindly beckoning. Martha Beck reported that small changes that make just enough of a difference, sometimes just in the satisfaction of the discipline, are great groundwork for gradual changes and sometimes even great leaps. (Reinhard promoted that too, just a lot more succinctly as is his wont and charm.) But all in due time._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I actually had two green days in a row to end last week. That was the first time that's happened in probably a couple of months. I had two nice S-days. I found a bag of Hershey Kisses chocolate truffle flavor in the Valentine's Day clearance aisle and now those are in my "S-day" cupboard at home. I ate several of them on Saturday and really enjoyed them. Yesterday I made chocolate chip cookies and froze most of them while keeping some out to enjoy during the day. I'm determined to have mostly green days this coming week!

I want to start again on the No-S Diet. I've really abandoned it for the past couple of months and have found myself both gaining weight and at the same time coming to the realization that I'm tired of eating so much food. I just got back from a brief vacation where I attended my niece's college graduation and commissioning into the Air Force, and we had a lot of snacks around the rental condo. I ate quite a bit while at the same time feeling a little jealous of all the thin people walking around in their swimsuits and wondering if they had ever struggled with their weight. I know some of them probably have, of course, but that didn't help in the moment. And I've just had so many opportunities for overeating lately that I've almost come to dread the thought of too much food.

So, I want to come back to what worked for me when I first started on this path three years ago. It was easier when I was living by myself, but I want to make it work now that I know I'm going to be getting married and living with someone permanently. I need to get through two green days before the S-days of the weekend, and I believe I can do it. I'll always have stumbles on this path, but I've learned that I do need some rules around food. And to be honest, I'm kind of getting tired of most of the things I've snacked on anyway. I don't really need chocolate every day, nor do cookies sound good to me most of the time despite the fact that I eat them anyway.

I'm going to give the plain vanilla No-S a try for the next three weeks. I'll let myself have what S-day treats I want, but the N-days will be strict. I've made this work before, and I can do it again.

My two N days were green, and yesterday was a nice S-day. I'm getting back into doing walking aerobics videos. I went lightly on them for awhile because of some hip pain, but I'm recovering from that. I don't think It's coincidence that the pain popped up following a weight gain. I'm not happy with how I feel and intend to make this turn-around a permanent one. I'm looking forward to a full week of green days._________________5/18: 203

I managed to keep yesterday a green day and I think today will be easier. I was thinking about chocolate last night after dinner while watching TV, but I didn't go and get any. Actually, there was a point where I was checking to see how many Hershey kisses would fit into a small organza bag (wedding favors) and in the past I would have eaten several of them. This time I just put them in the bag, closed it, then took them back out and put them back in their original packaging to be eaten on a future S-day!

Yesterday I had cereal with a banana for breakfast and noticed that it didn't seem to keep me as full as long as it used to. This morning I had peanut butter toast with milk and a banana and that always seems to satisfy me more. I know my brother has a similar breakfast every morning, and it's still light and easy to make. Maybe it will become a breakfast regular for me!

I am still eating lunch at my desk at work and this works for me. I can eat at an earlier time than I used to and be a bit more hungry for dinner by the time I get home. My lunch has been varied, although I keep searching for that perfect "everyday" lunch. I bring in soup and crackers, leftovers, and sometimes I even just have a couple slices of cheese with some crackers and vegetables. Today it will be leftover orange chicken from the crockpot (not fried, just cooked in the pot) and rice. I'm looking forward to it. I also ordered a DVD with a couple more Leslie Sansone workouts so that I don't get bored with the ones I currently have. Right now I plan to do some of the longer (3 mile/40-45 minute) workouts on the weekend and maybe one or two 2 mile/30 minute workouts during the week to supplement the slower walking I do in the parking lot at work.

The past couple of weeks have gone pretty well. I did have one red day, though. I still struggle with the WTH effect, apparently. I am trying one thing that could help with that. I've noticed that if I mark a red day for one slip, my mind instantly thinks "I've messed up. I might as well mess up more." Despite all my good intentions, I've never gotten to the point where I can get past that. So what I've done is decide that one "S" is not worth marking a red day. Keeping my day green if I slip up once seems to be helping so far, because then I really have to think about the next opportunity. Is it worth a red and the mentality that will come from that? Most of the time, except for that one day, I've been able to say "No! I will keep my day green and move forward to tomorrow!"

There's been some stress in the past few week over my fiancé's health. When I was in Florida for a few days in early May he went to the ER with leg pain, in the same place where he was diagnosed with a stress facture about five years ago. It's bothered him here and there in the intervening years, but nothing like it's hurting now. So he was given a walking boot and referred him to an orthopedist. After several tests, it was determined that there was a mass in his bone and he was referred to another doctor for a consultation and biopsy. We're still waiting to get an appointment with the second doctor, but in the meantime I'm trying to keep things as normal as possible.

So on to more green days! I still think this is the best way I can eat for life.

Well, the past couple of weeks have been up and down. My fiancé had a day of tests at the hospital last week which led to longer periods between meals for me, and eating more when we finally got home. The doctor then arranged a biopsy for the mass in his bone. On Tuesday, we got to the hospital at 5 a.m. and we were there for ten hours while he was prepped, had the surgery, and then recovered from it. During that time I had a few saltines, an apple juice, and some tea.

By the time we finally left the hospital, I was extremely hungry and probably as exhausted as he was. We stopped on the way home for sodas and I also ate a Snickers bar. After we got home, I had a small snack, and then we ordered pizza for dinner. I did actually stick to one plate for that, but then I had a couple of cookies for dessert. Yesterday I managed to stick with three meals, and today has been going well so far too. We won't get word of what further treatment might be needed until maybe next week, so until then he's just resting and recovering.

We're going down to his parents' house at the New Jersey shore this weekend to celebrate his niece's high school graduation, so at least we can get out of the apartment and be around other people. I'm going to try to not do too much overeating, but if I see something good I will probably let myself have it. I keep telling myself that sticking to this routine and otherwise taking care of myself will help me get through whatever emotional roller coaster is starting up in our lives. It will help me be there for my fiancé, as well.

It's time for me to get strict about No-S again. Sometime during this past week I just got tired of continually lapsing back into snacking whenever I wanted. I don't want to spend the rest of my life continually overeating. This morning before I went to work I emptied the cupboard and freezer of my most tempting foods and left the few things that I am looking forward to as weekly treats on S-days: chocolate bars, a couple flavors of cookies, and an ice cream sandwich. Those are things I don't want to give up completely, but I am going to try and keep them as treats and not as daily necessities.

I've gone back and forth so many times in my head the past few weeks about what type of eating style I want to have. I tried a brief (very brief!) experiment with not having breakfast at all and broke down by the time I was an hour into work. I do like breakfast, and I think I have finally found an option (the peanut butter toast and fruit I previously mentioned) that will work for me. It's easy to fix every day and keeps me full most of the morning. Then a smallish lunch and a reasonable one-plate dinner, and I'm hoping that will finally get me back on track with No-S.

I'm going to have stumbles. No-S worked really well for me when I was strict with it, though, and I want to get the habits in place now before I face another Halloween-Christmas season where I just throw moderation out the window. I'm tired of having so much food. Maybe I just really needed to reach this point before I finally decided that common-sense eating really is the answer.

Another thing I'm trying to cut down on is aspartame. To be clear, I do NOT believe that it is bad for everyone, or that it is some sort of poison. I've simply noticed some things about me that are better when I go a day or two without drinking diet sodas (pretty much my only source of it, other than the occasional chewing gum when I fly someplace). I also definitely notice a difference in how I feel after I drink diet sodas in general, so I don't know if it's the artificial sweetener or something else. I feel fine when I drink seltzer, so I don't think it's the carbonation. Whatever it is, I want to see how I feel after not having it for awhile, so I am going to try to cut out all diet sodas for now. I managed to do it for Lent several years ago, which is when I started drinking seltzer, so I think I can manage it this time. I don't have any in the house, so if I want it I have to go buy it. That will help me cut back, I think.

So, lots to think about at the moment. Going back to plain No-S, no mods, and hoping to keep the habits for 21 days!

I think that in July I am going to try to stick with just three meals a day, but have a sweet with meals IF I want one, even on S-days. One of my biggest downfalls on S-days is the between-meal snacking. I'd like to try to get some control over that. The times that I'll relax this rule are on S-day holidays, like the 4th of July. I'm curious to see how often I'll actually want something sweet with my meals.

Still no definitive word about my fiances biopsy results, but the first test came back inconclusive. I think we are taking that as a hopeful sign that it isn't malignant, but he'll still need some sort of treatment. The wedding is less than 4 months away and there's a lot that needs to be done in the next few months, so I'm hoping that at least by keeping my eating routine steady I can break my emotional overeating habit.

I've thought about and dabbled with other ways of eating, like trying longer fasts, but when it comes down to it I enjoy having three meals a day, even if I want to keep them a bit smaller now (at least for breakfast and lunch). It gives me energy for the day.